The highest level character dictates how many zombies spawn with each event card.

Photo: Ryan Carlson/GeekDad

An action scene from game play. A 'fatty' zombie and several normal walkers shamble towards the noise players are making by opening doors and firing off guns.

Photo: Ryan Carlson/GeekDad

The modular game board of a Zombicide mission.

Photo: Ryan Carlson/GeekDad

The plastic figures included with the game are surprisingly high quality and detailed.

Photo: Ryan Carlson/GeekDad

Each of the playable characters is an homage to a character from within pop culture. For instance, Dave is straight out of Big Bang Theory.

Photo: Ryan Carlson/GeekDad

The highest level character dictates how many zombies spawn with each event card.

Photo: Ryan Carlson/GeekDad

Zombicide, by Guillotine Games, joins the popular trend of cooperative board games that are designed to allow friends to play towards a common goal instead of being at odds with one another. In this case, you’re banding together in a post-apocalyptic world for mutual survival, holding the hordes of undead at bay just long enough to salvage some supplies or a cache of weapons. Cooperative games like Zombicide are not necessarily a new concept, but I’m finding that cooperative games with geek-friendly themes like zombies, space aliens, and hobbits are incredibly accessible for wives, husbands, and the significant others of hardcore gamer geeks. I’ve found that the invitation to play a game with your spouse and not against them makes a big difference in the overall fun factor for everybody involved.